What A Long, Strange Trip
by FoxPhile
Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: What A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **Author's Note: Yet another story about Walter's trip to Tahoe. This was going to be a short one-shot but it got away from me and turned into eight chapters. The good news is - it's completely finished and I'll be posting chapters every other day or so. I hope you enjoy. If you do, consider leaving me a little note at the bottom! Thank you. :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting._

 _~ Buddha_

* * *

Walter sped along the Hollywood Freeway, glad that the evening rush was over and he wasn't wasting time stuck in traffic. The temptation to floor the gas pedal was extreme, but the genius recalled that his luck with emotionally driven speed hadn't been stellar of late. Still, with the highway nearly deserted it couldn't hurt to push his speed to ten miles above the limit, right? Maybe even fifteen.

He eased the gas pedal down, watching as the needle swung past the zenith and fluttered around eighty.

He quickly calculated that this moderate increase would allow him to shave an hour and fifteen minutes off his total remaining travel time. He'd left the city and was now traveling through the arid hills of the California countryside, heading up to Sacramento. From there, he would pick up highway 80 east towards the resort areas on the North shore of the lake. He was glad he'd mapped the route and programmed it into his GPS days ago, when he was still planning to take Linda. He'd been able to jump into his car and get on the road as soon as he made the decision to go. And it was _**his car**_ , regardless of what Toby might say or any vote that was taken.

He couldn't think about that now. He needed to focus on Paige; on what he would say when he found her; on how he could convince her that…that… well, that he was an moron who had ignored the evidence for months, simply because he didn't want to believe in anything as messy and difficult as love. But Toby was right. Walter had pushed the woman he loved out the door and into the arms of a big, handsome Navy Seal. If she told him she had no interest in rekindling the attraction that Walter had been vehemently denying all these months, then he couldn't blame anyone but his stupendously stupid self.

The speedometer needle was hovering further to the right, wavering on the mark that was halfway between eighty and one hundred. Walter eased up. There was little danger of driving off a cliff, but he would never be able to tell Paige he loved her if he wound up in a hospital again… or worse.

* * *

Walter nearly ran out of gas, waiting until he was well North of Stockton to pull off the highway at a truck stop. After filling up, he went through the McDonald's drive-thru and got two large cups of coffee, hoping the full tank and the double dose of coffee would carry him the rest of the way to the lake.

He'd given up any notion of spotting Tim's car along the way. There was no guarantee that the man had taken the same route and for all Walter knew, he'd passed them already, since he'd been holding the vehicle between 80 and 85 miles per hour for nearly the entire trip. He doubted Armstrong would be speeding; the man was entirely too ruled by the rules to do that. Regardless, with Paige in the car, he had better not be! Walter tried once more to call Paige's cellphone, but received the same message as before.

As he guided the car up the ramp and back onto the highway, Walter pondered the possible scenarios he might encounter when he arrived at Lake Tahoe.

Fortunately, he knew exactly where Paige and Tim would be heading, since he not only offered Paige his tickets to the festival, he also allowed her to take his hotel reservations. He smiled a moment, secure in the knowledge that at least Paige and Tim would have a room with two separate beds at their disposal. Walter himself hadn't had any intention of sharing his sleeping space with Linda, much less engaging in any intimate activities. Of course, the mere availability of two beds didn't mean that Tim couldn't seduce Paige into sharing just one of them, but Walter had confidence that Paige wouldn't succumb to any such intentions. In any event, the question was moot because Walter had every intention of getting Paige out of that room long before the question of how many beds to use arose.

* * *

May 3, 2016


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

"Paige, I realize this is beyond eleventh hour, but it's important for you to know that I love you."

 _Before things go any further with this military lunk who's been hunkering after you._ Walter added in his head.

He was just north of Sacramento, and had spent the last hour trying out different ways to tell Paige how he felt. Within two hours, he'd arrive at the lakeside resort. Surely he could find the perfect words in that time?

"I love you, Paige. If it's not too late, and if you still have feelings for me, let's get out of here. Tim can stay for the Jazz festival, since he likes that sort of thing. You and I can find something more stimulating to do."

 _Stimulating? Might that not send the wrong message?_

Walter blushed. He was not under any illusions as to where his relationship with Paige would lead, if he managed to salvage one. But that was an aspect of his prior relationships with women that had never gotten off the ground, so to speak. He was fairly sure that would change. Since he was being so honest with himself today he could admit that he'd felt things – physical sensations – alright, _**desire**_ \- with Paige that he'd never felt with any other woman. He definitely wanted to pursue that avenue… eventually. It was something he should probably discuss with her sooner rather than later, so she would be prepared for a wait. Considering how long it took him to admit to loving her, Walter hoped the time it would take before he was ready to engage in sexual relations wouldn't discomfit her. Walter assumed he would be discomfited enough for them both.

* * *

Pulling the Malibu into the hotel parking lot, Walter wearily found a spot and cut the engine. He swallowed the last of his coffee and yawned. Pulling out his phone, he tapped the number of the hotel. He'd programmed it into his phone when he'd made his one stop for gas, realizing that it might be easier to find out if Paige and Tim had checked in if he called, rather than showing up at the front desk.

"Good…good morning," Walter responded after the bored operator answered and finished her standard greeting. "Can you connect me to Paige Dineen's room, please? This is her employer. I hate to bother her, but we've got an issue that requires her attention. Yes, I know it's quite late, but unfortunately this cannot wait."

He waited while the operator typed, marveling at his ability to speak calmly when the part of him that wasn't dead tired wanted to run from room to room, pounding on doors until he found Paige. When the operator asked him to spell Paige's name, he dutifully did so.

" _I'm sorry, sir. No one by that name has checked in yet."_

"I see," Walter answered. "Thank you then, you've been very helpful."

He cut the phone connection and continued typing things on his laptop. He was able to log in to the hotel wi-fi and while the operator had been typing on her computer, he'd captured the sound of her keystrokes over his phone. He ran the sounds through an application that was able to glean her password from the pattern of clicks. Within moments, he was into the hotel's private network.

Paige had called an hour before to let the hotel know that they were still on their way and would be checking in very late. The notation added to her reservation said to expect them around 2:30 am. Walter surmised they must have stopped to eat somewhere along the way in order to be so far behind him. He continued to scan the information and found that they had already been assigned room 228. Now all he had to do was decide if he should enter the hotel and set up a stake out of sorts in the hallway near the room, or if he should wait in the car. He decided he needed to do some surveillance while he waited the 45 minutes until Tim and Paige would arrive.

Driving slowly around the perimeter of the hotel, Walter noted that there were three entrances into the hotel grounds but there was only one entrance to the lobby area. Parking spots were reserved just in front of the door for guests checking in. Since the room was reserved in Paige's name, she would probably go inside. Tim might or might not go with her, but that didn't matter. It wouldn't make sense for them not to come to the front entrance first. He decided he could park his own car in a vacant spot that was shadowed by trees surrounding the complex and observe any incoming traffic from there with little chance of being seen.

* * *

It was almost three o'clock. It was exactly one minute and twenty seconds since the last time Walter checked his watch. Were they simply bad at calculating travel time, or had something happened in the time since Paige's last call to the hotel? Walter was tempted to log back in to the reservation system, but his battery was running low and somehow he'd forgotten to bring his car charger with him. He made a mental note to get a spare and simply leave it in the car at all times.

After a few more minutes, he was opening the laptop to check again when he saw headlights sweep the trees. Walter wished he had night vision goggles in the car as well, but as the vehicle passed under one of the security lights, he was able to confirm that it was Tim's nondescript sedan. Walter watched as Tim pulled into one of the spots designated for check-ins. He saw Paige exit the car. The door opened on the driver's side, and Tim began to exit. Paige turned, waved a hand and said something that Walter couldn't make out. Tim nodded and got back into the car.

Estimating the distance between his location and the front door, Walter realized he would have to sprint to catch Paige before she got too far inside. He quickly exited his own car, not caring that he left his laptop open and running on the seat as he took off at a run.

When Paige reached the front door of the hotel, Walter was about fifteen feet behind her. Just as he was closing in, the force of his momentum was countered by a fast moving object connecting with his face.

* * *

May 3, 2016


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

"Walter?"

He heard the voice coming from somewhere right in front of his nose. He knew who the voice belonged to and realized immediately that he was glad it was probably not connected to whatever it was that hit him. After a second of reflection, Walter recalled seeing Tim running towards him, his fist cocked and ready. Walter had been punched in the face before and couldn't wait to see Happy's reaction when he told her that, formidable as she was, she couldn't hold a candle to a Navy Seal trained fighter.

"Walter! Are you all right? Open your eyes, Walter!"

The voice was getting more insistent, and he was reluctant to disappoint her. After all, he'd been doing that for far too long and the whole point of this trip was to stop that, right? He made an effort to open his eyes.

One of his eyes seemed to be okay with the idea, although any movement of his facial muscles was painful; apparently even the tiny ones in his eyelids. The left eye, however, wouldn't budge. He slowly blinked his right eyelid, trying to clear the fuzziness in his vision. The face just in front of his was undoubtedly Paige's. Considering her proximity, Walter wondered why he didn't smell any of the various scents he'd come to associate with Paige. There was no hint of lavender, nor the light citrus scent of her favorite shampoo. He tried to breathe in deeply and realized there was a lot of liquid in his nose and… it smelled coppery, like blood. It also started to hurt like … well, a lot. He was starting to realize there was a good possibility that Paige's guerrilla date for the weekend had broken his nose.

It would just have to wait. He couldn't waste any more time. He blinked a few more times until the face in front of his came into focus. The blond hair cascading on either side was still blurry, but he realized that was due to the inability of the human eye to focus on two points in such proximity.

"Paids," he said, disturbed that his voice was being affected by the blood blocking his nasal passages. "Paids," he said again, "I lub dju and I'b been a tupid idiot nod do dell dju."

"Walter?" Paige looked worried. "I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but I think we should get you to a hospital. That nose might be broken."

Walter sagged. Despite all his efforts to keep his speed down, he was still going to wind up in the hospital after all. Probably with a big bandage on his nose that would make it impossible to talk. Then Paige and Tim would be free to use however many beds they wanted to while Walter was stuck in a narrow bed whose only appeal was that it could move up and down.

"No! No!" He reached up to grab Paige's arm. "Do dju hab a Keen-ex?" he asked.

"Oh Walter!" she gasped. "You can't take care of that yourself. You really need to be checked out by a doctor."

"Bud I lub dju! I came aw dis way du dell dju! I don wan dju heah wid Dim!"

"Come on, Tim. Help me get him up. I can sit in the back of your car with him. There's got to be hospital around here somewhere. We can look it up on the GPS in your car."

Before he could protest, Walter was being lifted up from the ground by the same man who decked him. With Paige on one side and Tim on the other, they made their way the few steps to Tim's car. Now that he was vertical, Walter realized he was feeling a little dizzy, and perhaps the hospital wasn't such a bad idea. Along the way, Tim apologized to Walter, and explained that he thought Walter was an attacker coming after Paige. Walter had to concede, at least in his own mind, that he should have realized what it would look like – a man running up to Paige in a hotel parking lot in the middle of the night. He couldn't fault Tim for coming to her defense.

Tim and Paige got Walter situated in the back seat. Tim held him up while Paige went around and got in on the other side. After Paige secured the seat belt around Walter, Tim closed the door carefully, got in the front seat and started the car. Within seconds, he eased the car out of the parking lot and announced, "There's a community hospital just about a mile away."

"Paids?" Walter said, his head clearing just a little. "I'm tho thorry. I was donna dake dju hobe, and dow djur donna thpend djur dwip daking caw ob be!"

"I'm so sorry, Walter. I can't understand anything you're saying."

His head was leaning against her shoulder, and Walter decided it wouldn't be too bad if he just fell asleep like that. He closed his eyes, but then popped them back open. Paige hadn't understood! She hadn't understood a word! He still hadn't told her. What if they had to do surgery and give him anesthesia? He _**had**_ to make her understand before they got to the hospital!

Walter mustered his strength, trying his best to clear his head without moving too much. He turned his head slowly and looked directly into her eyes. Maybe if he spoke very slowly and carefully.

"Paids," he began again, then tried to swallow, grimacing at the taste of blood that was running down his throat. He tried once more. "Paidge," he enunciated very carefully. "I… came… heah… here…. be… cause… I… lu…love… you." He took a careful breath. In his concentration, he'd closed his eyes. He opened them again to see Paige staring down at him, her own eyes wide with astonishment.

"I'll say one thing for you Walter O'Brien. You never seem to do things the easy way, do you?"

* * *

May 3, 2016


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

The small hospital emergency room was not busy and Walter was seen immediately. After carefully prodding his nose, the doctor announced that it wasn't broken. Walter endured having some of the excess fluid siphoned out after which he was at least able to breathe. Then they made him sit upright for about a half hour with an ice pack on his face. During that time, Paige was allowed to come back and stay with him. She pulled the visitor chair up close to the bed and sat down, taking his hand in hers. She told him that Tim returned to the hotel to get them checked in and would come back in a few minutes to pick them back up.

"Walter," she began hesitantly. "The doctor says you shouldn't be left alone tonight, and you certainly can't drive. Did you get yourself a room at the hotel?"

Walter shook his head slowly. The doctor had told him to avoid talking until the bleeding was under control.

"Hmmm. We'll have to figure out something then. The room I have is supposed to be a double, so maybe you can take one bed and we can probably get a rollaway from the hotel. Tim and I can fight over who gets the other bed. That ought to be more entertaining than pay-per-view movies." She laughed nervously. Walter realized he must look miserable, in addition to looking battered and bruised. Paige became serious again.

"After we've both had a chance to sleep, and you're feeling better, you and I will have to have a very serious talk."

Walter nodded, being careful not to move too fast. He turned his eyes to look at Paige, doing his best to look apologetic. This certainly wasn't what he had in mind when he left the garage. It was particularly annoying that he had to maintain silence. He only hoped that the ice would reduce the swelling and with his nasal passages cleared, he would be able to speak clearly so that Paige could understand. He knew by her reaction that she'd finally gotten what he'd been trying to tell her, but he wanted to say it again. And he wanted to ask her how she felt about it.

"This is going to be pretty awkward," she continued. "I mean, I like Tim or I wouldn't have agreed to go with him. But I'm really not looking forward to telling him that he's going to be sharing a room with not just me, but you, too. I'm sure you're not going to be up to a seven hour drive, even tomorrow, so I think I should probably drive you home in your car tomorrow and then Tim can come home in his when he's ready. I don't see any reason why he can't stay and enjoy the festival, do you? He really does love jazz."

Paige stood, still holding Walter's hand. "Do you think you can scoot over a bit?" she asked. "We can talk better if we're on eye level. You've been looking down at me sitting in the chair and I don't think that's good right now."

Walter shook his head to indicate that it wasn't good. But Paige misinterpreted his action.

"Oh… Okay. If you don't feel up to scooting over, I can just stand here then."

Walter shook his head again, and immediately wiggled sideways, making room. He reached over with the hand that Paige wasn't holding and patted the spot he'd made, smiling from underneath his ice pack.

Paige smiled too and released his hand. She lowered the bed rail, then carefully perched on the side of the bed. She turned to face him, and reclaimed his hand.

"Walter, I need to be clear on one thing." She paused, looking down at the hand she was holding. There was a slight abrasion along the outside that extended into his palm. Walter realized he must have scraped it on the concrete when he went down. Paige lifted the hand and placed a kiss on the injury. "Ralph still likes it when I kiss it and make it better," she said, grinning. Then she shook her head and looked serious again. "That's not what I meant about being clear." She took a deep breath. "Whether we leave tomorrow or the next day, whether Tim stays or comes with us, I'm going to tell him that I can't be with him – this weekend, or ever."

Paige looked directly at Walter then. "If he wants to know why, I'm going to tell him that I'm in love with you."

Walter felt a surge of emotion that nearly overwhelmed him.

* * *

May 16, 2016


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

After about a half hour the doctor returned, removed the ice pack and again prodded Walter's nose gently.

"The swelling's reduced, but that nose is going to be oversized and uncomfortable for a day or two. It's not bad enough to keep you here overnight, but you shouldn't be alone. Do you have someone who can stay with you overnight?"

The doctor turned pointedly to look at Paige.

"I'll be staying with him," she affirmed, "as long as he needs."

Walter smiled up at her. It was his fault she was in this awkward position – one that would be getting worse before it got better. He knew from his earlier hacking into the hotel's reservation system that they had no available rooms. It was unlikely they could find one anywhere in the area due to the festival. He and Paige would simply have to share a room with Tim. Walter might not like the guy, but he wasn't going to kick him out into the street.

"Good, good," the doctor continued. "We've given you some painkillers, which should help you sleep. Here's a prescription for enough to last another couple of days. I assume you're here on vacation – or rather, you don't live in the area?"

Walter nodded and Paige added, "No – we're both from LA, just here for the Jazz Festival."

"I see," the doctor acknowledged. "I've got tickets for that myself. The wife loves Jazz. Personally, I think it sounds like the musicians know just two notes and keep playing them over and over." He chuckled. "Unfortunately, my guess is that you won't be feeling up to much of anything tomorrow, certainly not a lot of crowds jostling you. It's up to you, but you should probably plan on skipping the events. If you do decide to go, make sure this pretty lady stays with you the whole time. You could get woozy with no warning and you don't want to keel over and bang that nose up any worse than it already is."

"We've already decided to skip the festival and go home tomorrow," Paige assured him, quickly adding, "I'll be driving, and we'll take it slow. We have a friend that we can give the tickets to, and he really loves Jazz, so it's all good."

"Well, that just about does it, then," the doctor concluded. "Your release papers are right here. Read them over, if you have any questions, the nurse at the desk can get me for you. Otherwise, sign them and leave one copy with him and you can be on your way." He turned to exit through the gap in the curtains surrounding Walter's bed, but turned to add, "You should probably make an appointment to see your regular doctor when you get back to LA. My name and number are on the release papers. He or she can call me with any questions."

After he left, Walter scanned the papers and signed them. Paige took them, folded the copy and stuck it in her bag, then walked over and handed the original to the nurse. Within a moment, a young man appeared with a wheelchair, helped Walter down from the bed and wheeled him out to the waiting room. Paige glanced around and spotted Tim sitting in one of the chairs near the door. He got up immediately and approached them.

"Buddy, again, I'm SO sorry," Tim started. Walter waved an acknowledgement. He really didn't blame the guy and right now he just wanted to get somewhere that he could sleep. The pain meds were taking effect and he would need Paige and Tim's help as it was to get from the car to the hotel room. If they didn't hurry, they might have to carry him.

"So what's the plan?" Tim inquired, "I take it the nose isn't broken. Do you have a room?"

"About that…" Paige began.

* * *

May 17, 2016


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

During the short ride home Paige called the hotel to request a rollaway bed, and was informed that in addition to the two beds, the room boasted a small sofa-bed. Tim had already taken all their luggage up to the room, so all they had to do was get Walter up there and settled.

Since Walter brought nothing with him, he opted to sleep in his clothes, just removing his belt. Paige helped him remove his shoes and socks, then got him tucked into one of the beds. Tim used the bathroom to change into pajamas. While he was gone, Paige sat on the side of Walter's bed, speaking quietly. "I'll be right here if you need anything at all," she said. "Don't worry about waking me, I'll probably wake up a bunch during the night to check on you, anyway. I always do when Ralph is sick. It's a mom thing, I guess."

Walter nodded. He was so tired. He'd avoided speaking, knowing that his still clogged nose would probably make his words unintelligible. But he felt the need to repeat himself on one point. It was a fact, and as he'd so often told people, he only stated facts.

"Paidge," he struggled to make the word come out as clearly as possible. "I….loo..ve….yee..ou."

Paige smiled and gently stroked his forehead, fingering the curls that had become tousled with all he'd been through that day. "I love you, too, Walter," she whispered.

Just then a knock came at the door. Paige got up to answer it, letting in one of the housekeeping staff to make up the sofa-bed.

* * *

Walter woke up realizing two things. His nose hurt… a lot; and he needed to get up and go to the bathroom… a lot.

He also realized he must have been very muzzy headed when he went to sleep the night before… or earlier this morning. He knew he was in a hotel room. The bed was unfamiliar, the ceiling had that commercial look that most hotel ceilings did and the décor – what he could see from his prone position – was also the mass-produced subdued and functional sort of thing typical of large chain hotels.

He remembered driving hell-bent to catch up with Paige before her weekend with Tim could get off the ground. He remember waiting in the parking lot of their hotel – was that the hotel he was in? He even remembered seeing Tim's car drive in. From that point on, things were muzzy. Obviously something untoward had happened to him; apparently not bad enough to land him in a hospital, but bad enough to make him feel like he'd been run over by an Army tank - or maybe a Navy Seal. He hoped he wasn't in this hotel room all by himself. He was fairly sure his nose was the only part of him that was truly injured; still he was not feeling sanguine about his chances of standing up and making his way to the bathroom by himself.

On the other hand, if Tim was his roommate he'd seriously consider urinating in the bed before he accepted help from the guy.

Walter realized that Tim was basically a decent guy. There was no logical reason for the animosity Walter felt towards him. Occasionally, when he'd responded deprecatingly to mention of something Tim did, Walter wondered afterwards why he'd done so. It made no sense. But then, Walter was beginning to understand that this love business didn't make sense and apparently wasn't supposed to. He hoped he'd figure it out some day, but he wasn't sanguine about that either.

One thing was certain. If he didn't move soon that urinating in the bed idea would no longer be optional. He made an effort to sit up, and managed to roll to one side, leaning on his elbow. At least from that position he had a better view of one side of the room. He also saw that there was a small bottle of pills and a glass of water on the bedside table. Good. He'd have to use those once he got back. He also noticed the two bags sitting neatly against the wall near the window. He recognized them from some of the team's recent out of town cases. The pale blue one was Paige's, a memento of her interrupted college days. The darker blue belonged to Tim. Was it possible the three of them shared the room?

He twisted around to confirm that he'd been alone in his bed all night. Over his shoulder he could see the other bed, also with just one side rumpled and slept in. So at least he hadn't been sleeping soundly in one bed while Paige and Tim shared the other. Rolling back towards the edge he maneuvered a leg out from under the covers and tried to push himself up to a sitting position. It was actually easier than he expected, so perhaps it was just his nose that was the problem, although the pain made him feel like his whole body was affected. Raising his head, he spied the small sofa. He rather hoped that tall Tim had been the one to sleep there.

With that thought to invigorate him, Walter brought his other leg out and planted both feet on the ground beside the bed. Again, it was easier than he thought. Hopefully the next step would be the same. Gathering his strength, he pushed his fists down on the bed on either side and rose to stand. Yes; he could do this.

"Walter, you're up!"

* * *

May 20, 2016


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

Walter thought he'd be mortified at having Paige help him to the bathroom. Instead, it actually felt somehow...normal... or maybe _right_ was the better word. It was the way things were supposed to be. When you were injured or sick, the person you loved... and who loved you... took care of you. As his level of wakefulness increased, he remembered that he had at least been successful in the two main purposes of his trip. He'd kept Paige and Tim from spending the night together - at least not _alone together_ \- and he'd told Paige about the feelings he had for her. If his memories were correct, he'd told her repeatedly, although apparently she hadn't really understood him the first few times. He also remembered that Paige told Walter she loved him, too. He'd been under the influence of some pretty fabulous drugs, so he hoped that part of his memory wasn't just an invention.

Paige kept up a monologue of unimportant commentary while she helped Walter get cleaned up and ready for the trip home. She also insisted he take some of the pain meds so he'd be more comfortable during the first hours of the ride. Walter suspected she was hoping the drugs would make him sleep, so they wouldn't have to have any serious discussions but also wouldn't be subjected to an awkward silence on the way. Walter was happy to comply. He didn't feel up to the discussion and his nose hurt like hell. Time enough when he was feeling better to have that discussion and get the answers to some questions that would be driving Walter crazy if he wasn't in so much pain. Like just where _had_ the big Navy guy slept last night?

* * *

"Hey, Walter," Paige urged, trying to get the half-asleep genius' attention. Walter opened his eyes and turned to look at the woman sitting in the driver's seat of his car. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. That egg bagel I had for breakfast is pretty much history. I'm going to pull off at the next exit and see what I can find. If you're hungry and you feel up to it, I can find us a place where we can sit and eat. Or if you'd rather I can just find a drive-thru and we can eat in the car. Although I think we should at least consider a bathroom break while we stop. Again, if you feel up to it. I can't exactly go with you into a public men's room."

Walter opened his mouth, but it felt like it was full of cotton and his first attempt at speech was unsuccessful. He cleared his throat, happily realizing that his nose, while still a little stuffy, wasn't hurting nearly as bad and wasn't nearly as full. He tried again. "Bathroom would be good," he admitted. "I think I'll be okay. But maybe eating in the car will be better." Walter felt he was physically able to sit in a restaurant, but the noise and crowd level in a strange town was unpredictable. He didn't feel mentally up to the stress a crowded restaurant might cause.

Paige nodded. "Drive thru it is, then. But I'll park first so we can take care of business before we eat."

They found an old-fashioned drive-in restaurant at the bottom of the exit from the highway, the kind that had speakers beside each parking spot where you placed your order. They probably had servers on roller-skates at one point. As Paige pulled into a spot, she noted that the speakers no longer worked, but big signs encouraged patrons to download and app to place their orders using the restaurant's free wi-fi.

Walter was encouraged to realize he was feeling much steadier on his feet as they walked inside together to use the facilities. When he emerged, he found Paige waiting for him. She had already downloaded the app and was making some selections from the menu. Once they were back in the car, she handed Walter the phone so that he could finish the order. As they waited in silence for their meal to be brought out, Paige sighed heavily.

"I suppose this is as good a time as any to start having that talk," she began. "If... that is... if you feel up to it," she was quick to add.

"No time like the present," Walter responded. Initially he'd wanted to put this off - perhaps for a day or two after they got back home. But now he found he really wanted to learn for sure just what Paige was thinking and feeling. He knew there was risk. It was the potential risk that had made him deny his feelings for so long. But now that he had acknowledged those feelings he found he was anxious to know exactly what level of risk he was facing - and the sooner the better. His mission had apparently converted from risk avoidance to risk management. He needed to know the facts in order to be successful in this new phase.

"So, last night you chased me all the way to Tahoe to tell me that after all this time - after you practically pushed me into Tim's arms - you finally realized you love me."

"Yes," Walter confirmed.

"I guess my first question is: What changed? What caused the sudden revelation?"

"Toby told me I was an ass and I realized I was a moron. Somewhere in between the two I came to the conclusion that I love you."

"Oh."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Where... um... where did uh... Tim sleep last night?"

Paige laughed. "Walter O'Brien... YOU are JEALOUS."

"Um... no... I'm just concerned that, considering the long drive today, I want to be sure that you had an adequately restful night's sleep."

"Walter," Paige cautioned, "you've made a great start finally telling me how you feel. Don't ruin it by denying your other feelings. I told you relationships are messy. Jealousy is one of the messy parts. A little jealousy is okay - it shows you really do care about the person. Too much can be destructive. But denying it is basically like lying and there's nothing more toxic to a relationship than lying."

Walter bit his lip. He hoped he hadn't made a mistake. This sort of thing was exactly why all his previous efforts at personal interaction with women had failed. If there was risk in entering into such interaction with Paige, the biggest risk was Walter himself and his lack of understanding of the nuances involved. If Paige wanted honesty, he would give it to her. He just had to control his tendency towards knee-jerk denial of any and all feelings. He sighed. He was already in over his head and he knew it.

"Okay," he said, trying to pick his words carefully. "I... I am... a _little_ jealous. I would really appreciate... some assurance... that you and Tim did not share the other bed last night." Seeing the frown on Paige's face he quickly added, "Not that I think there is any possibility that anything happened and not that I have any right to know... but I just want to because... the thought of you... in bed... with anyone else... even under extreme circumstances... makes me a little crazy."

He stared at the woman in the other seat, hoping he'd gotten that right. He loved her and he felt his love was growing with every waking moment. She, on the other hand, was torturing him with every second she delayed answering.

"Tim slept on the pull-out couch," she said. She smiled before adding, " _Alone_. You were still pretty zonked when he and I woke up this morning. We had breakfast brought up and needed the couch to sit on, so we closed it back up."

"Oh. Well that's good then. Thank you for... for telling me."

Their meal arrived and Paige passed Walter his chicken strips and onion rings then unpacked her salad and dug in hungrily.

"I'm surprised, Walter. You usually aren't big on fried foods."

"My selections are based on the fact that I wasn't sure I could comfortably open my mouth wide enough to eat a sandwich, while the chicken fingers will require minimal mouth movement. I'm hoping the pungent smell of the onions will help to open my nasal passages. Plus I feel a modest amount of indulgence is warranted."

"Well, you know you're going to have to share those onion rings."

"I'm sorry. How is sharing my food a requirement? Because I'm really not comfortable with sharing food... with anyone."

"Oh," Paige hesitated. "I didn't really mean it was a requirement. I was just teasing, really," she explained. "It's just that if you eat onions and I don't... later on we might... you know... kiss. And you would have onion breath and I don't so..."

"...it would be an unpleasant experience for you," Walter concluded.

"Right," Paige agreed. "But it's really just a sort of ... joke... that people make when they're in a relationship. I don't even know for sure if it's really a problem. I've never really noticed..."

"Nevertheless," Walter carefully hooked three of his onion rings on a plastic knife and laid them on a napkin, which he then passed over to Paige. "In future if I choose to eat anything with a pungent odor or flavor I'll be sure to order enough for us both." He looked up at her sheepishly. "Although I'm not sure kissing is such a good idea right now... much as I might want to. I can barely breathe while I eat. I think I might pass out if do anything that prevents breathing through my mouth for any length of time."

Paige smiled and reached over to lay a hand on Walter's shoulder. "Too bad," she said. "These drive-ins were quite the make-out joints back in the day."

"M... m... make-out joint?"

"Sure... you know. It's a place all the kids go when they're on a date to kiss and... do other things."

"Paige. We are not 'kids'. When the time is right for us to kiss or... do other things... we can do so in the privacy of my loft, or perhaps at your condo when Ralph is elsewhere."

"Walter, has anyone ever told you you're a real spoil sport?"

"In this context, actually, yes."

* * *

May 21, 2016


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: A Long, Strange Trip**

 **Summary: Walter heads to Tahoe. What a long, strange trip he has.**

 **Author's Notes: Final Chapter. The Long, Strange trip is ending here. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed. I'm really gratified at the response.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own** _ **/scorpion**_ **. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 _Sometimes the light's all shinin' on me;  
_ _Other times I can barely see.  
_ _Lately it occurs to me -  
_ _What a long, strange trip it's been. ~ The Grateful Dead_

* * *

The pain in his nose had subsided, so Walter didn't take any more of the pain medication, but he still fell asleep for most of the remainder of the ride home. When he woke, it was dark and they were on the outskirts of LA.

"Oh, good, you're awake," Paige said. "I was thinking maybe I should stay at the garage with you tonight. You seem like you're still a little shaky and you're probably going to want to take some of those meds so you can sleep. It might be a good idea for you to have someone stay with you. It's still early so we could maybe order pizza and watch movie or something." She grinned and stole a quick glance at Walter. "It could be like our first date!"

When Walter didn't respond, Paige glanced over again. Walter shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Paige, but he wasn't quite ready to have her spend the night at the garage. Would she have expectations? What would they do about sleeping arrangements? The only real bed was the one in his loft. He supposed he could let Paige have the bed while he slept downstairs in the Airstream, but he was really looking forward to sleeping in his own bed tonight.

"What about…. What about Ralph?" he asked, hoping she would change her mind and return home to be with her son.

"Oh. Sylvester is staying with Ralph. He doesn't expect me home until tomorrow, anyway, and if he needs to reach me he'll call my cell, so it's no problem for me to stay with you." She glanced over again. "I promise, Walter, no making out as long as your nose is still sore. I just want to be sure you're okay. It's part of the package, you know. I get to worry about you now."

"If I'm not mistaken, Paige," Walter returned the grin, relieved that at least one issue was temporarily deflected. "You've been worrying about me pretty much from the day we met."

"Well, true. But now when I'm worried I get to do something about it. Which includes staying the night with you when you're sick or injured." She smiled again, and Walter thought he recognized it as the particular smile she got when she was about to tease him. "Especially when said injury is the result of a rather romantic gesture."

Walter was beginning to think this idea might not be so bad after all. He realized that he and Paige had never spent much time alone together that wasn't related to work. It could be fun to just enjoy her company for a bit. If left on his own, he'd surely dive into one of his experiments and likely get little or no sleep. Judging by the amount of time he'd slept in the last day, it was obvious he needed it for the healing process. He recalled the same thing happened after his car accident. Even after he was no longer on pain medication, he slept much more than usual while recovering from his punctured spleen and even during the weeks of rehabilitation on his hand. With luck, he'd simply fall asleep on the couch downstairs and Paige would allow him to stay there while finding her own accommodations.

As Paige pulled up in front of the garage, Walter hoped they wouldn't find Toby sleeping off his bender on the couch.

* * *

Walter forgot his plan to fall asleep during the movie. After ordering their pizza, Paige selected a movie that Walter realized was in the general category known as "chick flicks". He found he really didn't care too much what they watched. They talked throughout the movie. Paige told Walter some things about her life before Scorpion. He was thankful she managed to avoid mentions of Drew. Walter realized that Drew would probably always be in their lives; in fact, he hoped for Ralph's sake that Drew became more involved. But he was still glad that the subject didn't arise on their "first date". He related some stories of his own life before Scorpion, including some of his favorite stories of the mischief he and Megan got into as children in Ireland. They got on the subject since the movie was about a young Irish girl in the 1950s who immigrated to America.

"Did you have an accent when Cabe first brought you over here?" Paige wondered.

" _Sure and begorrah, 'tis a grand thing to be Irish!"_ he proclaimed in his best imitation of a thick Irish accent.

"I'm serious!" she retorted. "If you ever had one, there seems to be no trace of it and I was wondering… why would you try to … I mean did you get rid of it on purpose or did it just fade naturally?"

"Oh, I had an accent all right," he admitted. "I got tired of people thinking it was 'cute' or 'quaint'. So when I got here to LA I found there is a whole industry here that helps actors lose accents – or gain them. I used some of the first money I earned to hire a coach. Within a few months, I was speaking just like an American."

"And you never seem to slip."

"Not if I can help it," he declared.

Walter was surprised at the things he told Paige, just in one evening. He'd never known what to talk about on any of his previous dates and he'd certainly not been comfortable enough with any of those women to talk about anything personal. With Paige, he felt he could tell her anything. Nothing embarrassed him, nothing was off limits. He felt amazingly comfortable with her. It was a lot like talking to Megan, although he certainly didn't think of Paige as a sister. In fact, if there was one thing that was making him uncomfortable with Paige, it was the knowledge that he very much wanted to explore their relationship in a physical way, but he was at a loss as to how to go about it.

Truthfully, he was breathing fine now and his nose no longer hurt at all. But he was allowing Paige to continue to believe that was an issue to keep the pressure away, at least for tonight. Whatever intimate encounters he'd had in the past were initiated by his dates. He'd tried his best to reciprocate but he'd experienced no desire and usually found the activities uncomfortable. Somehow, despite his reticence, he felt he wouldn't be uncomfortable with Paige. But that didn't mean he knew how to begin. Perhaps if he waited long enough Paige, like those other women, would initiate things herself. The odd thing was, he didn't really think he wanted to wait. Just sitting next to her, having acknowledged how he felt and knowing she felt the same, Walter was experiencing urges he'd never had before. Under better circumstances, he might talk to Toby about it. Toby would tease and gloat and say "I told you so" but ultimately, Walter was sure Toby would provide him with sound advice. But Toby was probably not going to be at his best for some time; at least until this business with Happy and her surprise marriage was resolved. Cabe was another possibility, but Walter thought that some of Cabe's views might be rooted in another era and potentially inappropriate to interpersonal relations in the present day. Walter could think of no one else to ask. Maybe he could do some research and work it out by himself.

Shortly after the movie ended, Paige rose and took the leftover pizza into the kitchen. Walter turned to watch her. He found he couldn't get enough of just looking at her. At least when they were alone like this, he no longer had to be surreptitious. He could get his fill of gazing at her. So many times in the past he'd caught himself staring at her – not realizing what he was doing until he noticed her looking back. Those moments had been both special and unsettling. Now, it all made sense.

Paige sat down again and patted Walter's leg. "It's getting late," she said. "We should probably get upstairs to bed." She sat back and yawned, stretching her arms over her head. Walter couldn't help but notice how the movement accentuated the shape of her breasts. Never before had he even noticed a woman's breasts. They were just mammary glands, after all, meant to nourish babies. Yet he found himself wondering what it would feel like to touch them. There were so many things about this whole love business that he'd never had any interest in before; things where he'd never understood the fascination. He was finding that, at least where Paige was concerned, he **_was_** interested. Walter realized he needed to be ready for a great many changes in the coming days.

"I want you to know," Paige told him, "I don't ever sleep with a guy on the first date. But…" She leaned over and continued, whispering in his ear, "... given the extenuating circumstances – and the limited accommodations - I'll make an exception tonight."

Walter turned abruptly. He found himself quite literally nose-to-nose with Paige, who backed away just in time to avoid re-injuring him.

"About that…" Walter began.

* * *

May 23, 2016


End file.
